


play a game of love with me

by faithfulhorizon



Category: Free!
Genre: Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-23
Updated: 2015-02-23
Packaged: 2018-03-14 15:32:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,549
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3415976
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/faithfulhorizon/pseuds/faithfulhorizon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He wasn’t sure how he got pulled into this mess.</p><p>And honestly, he kind of regrets saying yes to this whole ordeal (and more importantly, wonders why he agreed to it in the first place).</p>
            </blockquote>





	play a game of love with me

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first Free! fanfic and I hope it'll turn out okay! I've had this sitting in my docs for weeks— months actually, ever since August. I meant to get it out at Christmas, but that didn't happen, so that's why it's Christmas themed. I've started this over like fifty times too. Well! I hope it's okay! :)

He wasn’t sure how he got pulled into this mess.

And honestly, he kind of regrets saying yes to this whole ordeal (and more importantly, wonders why he agreed to it in the first place).

_A week or two ago, he had gotten a call from Rin, and at first, he didn’t hear his phone go off because he was in the bath, but once he got out and headed downstairs, drying off his hair in the process, it started going off again._

_He sighed. How obnoxious._

_He draped the towel around his neck and grabbed his phone off of the kitchen table, frowning slightly as he accepted the call. Honestly, what could Rin want now?_

_“Hello?”_

_“Haru!” Rin cried, and Haruka could hear the relief in his voice. “I wasn’t sure if your phone would be on or not. Guess I got lucky, huh?”_

_Haruka grunted in reply, and began to move to the fridge to pull out the mackerel he was going to cook for lunch. He could listen to whatever Rin had to say and cook at the same time-- it wasn’t like he was a beginner at doing that._

_"Anyway,” Rin began, pausing slightly as if he was looking for the right words to say. “Can you do me a favor?”_

Of course _he wanted a favor._

_He wanted to say no, but he knew he’d end up getting roped up into whatever it was by the end of it anyway, so he replied with a simple, “depends.”_

_“Well...” Haruka isn’t sure if he should be worried at how many times Rin has paused _—_  at how unsure of himself he sounds _—_ but he brushed the thought away as he put the mackerel in the frying pan, listening to the sizzling sounds it made as he waited for Rin to continue._

_“I don’t know how to even ask this,” he heard Rin mumble, but he didn’t comment on it. He didn’t really want to because it just sounded like trouble, like something he didn’t want to do. (And somehow he knew it was going to be trouble.) Besides, Rin was talking before Haruka would even be able to say anything. “Uh, so I got this Christmas party for my job next weekend."_

_Haruka hummed in reply, to let Rin know that yes, he was still there and was listening to him. “Right. Well, my co-workers have been nagging me about my relationship status, because they think it’s their business to know if I’m dating anyone. And, well, I finally snapped and said I was dating someone. So they said to bring that someone to this Christmas party we’re having so they can meet them and well…”_

_"Rin,” Haruka interrupted him. “Get to the point.”_

_"The point is! Will you be my fake boyfriend for this party? It’s literally just for this party, that’s it—”_

_"No.” His response is immediate and it doesn’t take much thought. Rin groaned._

_"Please, Haru!” Rin cried. “It’s only one little party! C’mon help a friend out—“_

_“Why me?”_

_Rin paused, faltering for the right words. “Because—you’re always off on the weekends, so I’d figure you’d be available.”_

_Haruka opened his mouth to retort his reply, but Rin was talking again before he had a chance to say anything— again. “And besides, it’ll only be one day. I’ll come pick you up and we’ll go to the party, and it’ll be over before you know it.”_

_"And you can’t endure that by yourself?”_

_“Haruuuuu,” Rin whined. “I already told them I’d have my significant other there— and if I show up without them, then they’d know I was lying!”_

_The whining really wasn’t helping Rin win Haruka over into helping me out._

_“Please Haru, I’m desperate here.”_

_Haruka sighed again. Really, he didn't want to do this; he wished Rin hadn't called him and asked him but here he was, and it was frustrating, completely frustrating. Because he knew, he knew, in the end he would say yes, because he was always saying yes to Rin, even if he didn't want to and it was so frustrating—_

_"Fine."_

_"Haru, come on— wait, did you say what I think you said?"_

_He wanted to take it back, lie and say no, he didn't say what he thought he said and tell him he was busy, then hang up and let Rin figure this out on his own and bring someone else. Even so, he found himself not saying what he wanted._

_“Don’t make me change my mind, Rin.”_

“Earth to Haru.”

Haruka was pulled out of his thoughts, and after blinking, he realized someone was waving a hand in his face— and that someone was Rin.

And then, he realized where he was.

He was at Rin’s Christmas party for work. He had really been hoping that Rin would’ve forgotten him, but no, he hadn’t. He showed up at his house like he promised, at 7 o’ clock. (Well, it was actually 7:05, but it didn’t really matter.)

Rin had been smiling, and there was a twinkle in his eyes— something Haruka always noticed after they raced one another back in high school. It was kind of nice, but he wouldn’t ever — not in a million years — admit that to Rin.

“What?”

Rin pulled his hand back. “You looked like you were spacing out,” Rin said, shrugging. “Just wanted to make sure you weren’t on another planet.”

Haruka sighed. He really didn’t think he’d be able to handle being at this party much longer.

Rin grew silent beside him, which gave Haruka the chance to look around. He noticed a few faces that Rin had pointed out when they first came in, and he was actually quite surprised he remembered their names. There was Hiroki, who was downing something— and he hoped that it wasn’t alcohol, because if any of these people got drunk, Haruka was out of here. He was laughing with his friend, and co-worker Naoki, who had a wide smile on his face. Sitting beside them, on a stool, was Kaiya, sipping quietly on the drink in her hand. Everyone else’s names were a blur in Haruka’s memory, but hey, at least he remembered three of them.

“Hey,” Rin nudged Haruka in the side. “You want a drink?”

“Not really.”

“C’mon, Haru. There’s water, punch, I even think there’s some beer—”

“Water’s fine.”

Haruka glanced over at him, just in time to see a smile grace his face. “Alright, I’ll be right back.” With that, Rin got up, leaving Haruka alone in a swarm of his co-workers.

Honestly, the party wasn’t that bad. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves, and no one had come up to pester him, nor Rin, yet. So that was a plus.

Still, he couldn’t shake the feeling that this was going to blow up in his face.

He started to grow a little uncomfortable the longer Rin was gone, because he knew none of these people— not a single person. Sure, Rin told him their names, and his relationship with them, but besides that? He had no clue who they were, and they had no clue who he was. He would much rather be at home, and in the bath, but he knew Rin would get upset if he left without saying anything. And he really didn’t want to deal with that right now.

A few minutes passed, and Rin returned with two bottles of water in his hands. He was smiling — again — and he handed Haruka his bottle. “Sorry that took so long,” Rin said as he sat down. “I ran into Akira, and he wouldn’t let me come back.” He paused, his grin turning a little sheepish. “He’ll probably make his way over here soon, so just a warning.”

Haruka didn’t say anything as he opened his water bottle and took a drink. He was a little glad that Rin was persistent in getting him a drink, because now that he had a sip, he felt like he could down the entire bottle in two seconds flat, maybe a second if he was lucky. He didn’t think he was that thirsty, but apparently he was.

“Whoa, slow down, waterboy.” Rin laughed, reaching out to push Haruka’s drink away from his mouth. “Don’t drink it all that fast. I know you love water, but come on.”

Haruka glared at him, but it held no bite, or true anger. Besides, it only made Rin laugh more.

Haruka pursed his lips together, watching as Rin’s face brightened with happiness. He seemed so content, so happy, Haruka was glad he was here to see it. It was nice, and kind of felt like they were simply hanging out at the pool and talking after a race, and he almost forgot where they really were—

“Oi, Rin.”

Dread settled over Haruka, and he froze up. He knew that voice. He hadn’t heard it in what felt like ages, but he _knew_ that voice.

Rin’s laugh faded off, and he looked up, his eyes widening. “Sousuke!” Rin cried, sounding a little anxious. “I thought you weren’t coming!”

“I wasn’t, but my original plans were called off,” Sousuke answered, and that was the moment Haruka looked up at him.

He looked the same as he did the last time he saw him. Intense eyes, black hair cut short, a little frown turning his lips downward.

Those eyes turned to look at Haruka, and widened a bit in surprise, like he wasn’t expecting to see him here. “Ah, Nanase. Long time no see.”

Haruka huffed. “Yamazaki.”

Haruka chanced a glance at Rin, and he saw how nervous he was. Clearly, he had thought Sousuke wasn’t going to be here, but now that he was, he could see how distraught he was. He felt a little bad, but he pushed those feelings away because this was Rin’s fault.

Now he had to get himself out of it.

“Akira told me you were bringing your boyfriend,” Sousuke said, looking back to Rin. “So, where is he?”

“Uh.” Rin glanced to Haruka for a minute, as if he was trying to telepathically tell him to help him out— but Haruka just stared back at him, so he was on his own on this one.

Rin laughed after a beat, as if Sousuke had told a really good joke. “He’s right here!” he exclaimed, throwing an arm around Haruka’s shoulders— like he always did. “It’s Haru, duh.”

Sousuke raised an eyebrow, looking a little amused. “Really?” He glanced back between the two with a calculating look, and Haruka felt Rin’s arm tense. “I never would have guessed.”

“Oh, c’mon,” Rin grinned. “Don’t we make a cute couple?”

Sousuke shrugged. “I suppose.” He paused, his gaze drifting over to Haruka. “How long have you been together?”

“October,” Rin replied. “October 17th.”

“That long?” Sousuke asked. “And you didn’t tell me?”

“I—” Rin stuttered, a blush painting itself across his face. “It just kinda— slipped my mind, ya’know? I didn’t think it was that big of a deal anyway.”

Well that was a big lie, even Haruka knew that. If Rin ever got in a relationship, he knew for a fact he would tell everyone he knew. He told everyone about crushes he had; he told them about how cute they were, and how their eyes lit up the night sky— so of course he would tell Sousuke, of all people, about getting in a relationship.

“Of course it’s a big deal, Rin.”

Now Haruka could tell Sousuke was trying to make him snap. He could tell that it was all fake, that it was just a lie, and he wanted to get Rin to admit that. Or, to screw up so badly that it was blatantly obvious that they weren’t really dating.

Haruka pursed his lips. Alright, two can play this game.

“I didn’t want to tell anyone,” Haruka said, gaining both Rin and Sousuke’s attention. “I knew everyone would make a big deal out of it, so I told Rin I didn’t want anyone to know yet.”

Sousuke stared at him for a moment, his eyes narrowing. “Embarrassed, Nanase?”

Now it was Haruka’s turn to frown. “No.”

“Then how come you didn’t want people to know?”

“Because!” Rin jumped in. “Because of people like Nagisa. C’mon, you know how he is— he doesn’t leave you alone and blabbers on and on and asks you… really embarrassing questions.”

Sousuke seemed to believe it, because he shrugged. “I guess you’re right.”

“Of course I am! I’ve known Nagisa almost my whole life.”

Sousuke grew quiet, and Haruka was hoping he would let it go and move on. But he wasn’t, because if he did then it’d be too easy— and it could never be that easy.

“Who asked who out, then?” Sousuke smiled a bit, tilting his head. “I’m curious.”

“Uh— I asked him out,” Rin answered, glancing to Haruka. “Pretty romantic, right?”

Haruka was reminded of their younger days when Rin had looked at him and said — basically — the same thing. He almost smiled, because those days were something he’d always hold close to his heart, even if younger Rin had been annoying.

Older Rin was still annoying anyway.

“We were at the pool,” Haruka began, surprising himself for delving into the made-up story. “We had just finished a race, and were just floating around. Then Rin leans over the lane buoys, and tells me he wants to ask me something. He’s red in the face, and—”

“ _Haru!_ ” Rin cried, red in the cheeks. Again.

Haruka continued, ignoring Rin’s cry of his name. “He’s stuttering, but he asks me out to dinner. And that’s how it happened.”

“I— I actually asked him out underneath a cherry blossom,” Rin muttered, running a hand through his hair. “It obviously wasn’t in bloom, but it… was the thought that counts.”

Haruka hummed in agreement, and he felt Rin pull his arm away from his shoulders. His touch wasn’t gone long, though, because he then took a hold of Haruka’s hand, giving it a squeeze.

Sousuke eyed them for a moment, before seeming to give up— at least, for now. Nevertheless, it lifted something off of Haruka’s shoulders, and he wasn’t sure what it was because if anyone should be worrying, it should be Rin. This was his best friend after all. He would have to deal with it, not him.

“Well, I’ll leave you two be, then,” Sousuke decided. “Let me know when you’re leaving, Rin.”

“Yeah!” Rin’s voice cracked a little. “Totally. See ya, Sousuke.”

Sousuke left with a lift of the hand, in an attempt at a wave, not even bothering to say goodbye to Haruka. Not that Haruka cared, though. Their relationship was better now than it ever had been, but they were still on rocky terms. He figured they were on even rockier terms now, since he suspected they weren’t dating, just faking it— or maybe he did believe it, maybe he did fall for Rin and Haruka’s acting.

It would surprise Haruka, that’s for sure. Rin wasn’t the best of actors, and Haruka wasn’t either, he’d have to admit. He was better than Rin though, but maybe that’s because this was sort of Rin’s problem. Sure, it was Haruka’s problem too, in a way, but it was more Rin’s burden than anything.

“Well,” Rin began once Sousuke was gone. “That was close.”

Haruka looked down to their hands, still clasped together and— he didn’t realize their fingers had been intertwined this whole time. When did that happen?

He wanted to pull his hand away, but something in the back of his mind was telling him not to, to hold Rin’s hand just a little longer. And for some crazy reason, he actually listened to it.

“I think he knows.”

Rin blinked, and Haruka could tell he was surprised; it was written out all over his face. “What do you mean?”

“I think he knows we’re not really dating,” Haruka said, softly. He didn’t want people to be listening in on their conversation and hear that, of all things.

“Maybe.” Rin shrugged, turning his attention to something else in the room. “I’d rather not think about that, though.”

Haruka decided to drop it. There was no point in continuing the conversation anyway.

He looked elsewhere, the sound of laughter reaching his ears— a few hollers of various names thrown into the mix. Music was playing too, and Haruka wasn’t sure if it had been playing the entire time or if it was just turned on and he didn’t notice it.

He really wanted to go home. Parties were _seriously_ not his thing. They were meant for socializing, something he really wasn’t that great at.

He would much rather be at home, curled up underneath his blankets and fast asleep because wow, was he starting to get tired.

“When are we leaving?” Haruka finally asked, gaze landing on Kaiya laughing with Naoki. He could tell that they were good friends.

“Bored?” Rin asked in return, bumping shoulders with him. Haruka shot him a glare, which only made Rin laugh. “Soon, I promise.”

Soon. He didn’t want to leave _soon_ , he wanted to leave _now._

Haruka realized that he was sounding like a petulant child who wasn’t getting their way. He sighed, and without thinking, leaned against Rin and rested his head against his shoulder.

He heard Rin sputter, and he knew he was embarrassed, but he didn’t care. He was tired, and he had been dragged here against his will— okay, that was a lie. He had agreed to this, but it felt like he had been dragged here without consent.

Rin could deal with it. Besides, it would help show that they really were dating. (Even though they weren’t.)

The party went on, and Haruka grew comfortable beside Rin. He wasn’t sure when he had closed his eyes, but he did, and he felt as if he could fall asleep right where he was— with his head leaning on Rin’s shoulder, and their hands clasped together.

Akira had finally come over, at some point. Haruka wasn’t sure when, but he knew he was there because Rin was talking and laughing, and there was another voice laughing too. He heard his name mentioned, and that’s when he decided to actually listen to what they were saying.

“Is he sleeping?” he heard Akira ask, and Rin chuckled.

“I think so,” he said. “He was really tired.”

“I can tell!” Akira exclaimed. “I was really looking forward to meeting him too.” He barely knew this guy, but he could tell he was pouting— he could just tell.

“Maybe some other time?” Rin suggested, and Akira seemed to bounce on that idea. Almost literally.

“Yeah! That’d be cool.” Akira paused, and Haruka wondered if he had just left without saying bye. That wasn’t the case, because he began talking again. “I think he’s a real keeper though.”

“Yeah,” Rin said. Haruka heard something in his voice— something that sounded fond, almost. He tried to pinpoint it, but he couldn’t. “I… I love him a lot.”

“I can tell,” Akira said, punching Rin’s unoccupied shoulder playfully. “Hold onto him, ya hear?”

“I hear,” Rin said with a laugh.

Akira disappeared shortly after with a goodbye, and a promise to actually meet Haruka at some point. Haruka began wondering if that had actually been Rin acting, when speaking to him, because it just… It sounded too real, too genuine, to be acting.

Perhaps it was just easier to play the act with Akira, rather than someone he’s known for years like Sousuke.

At some point, Haruka drifted off. He only woke up when he felt Rin shaking him, gently, and whispering his name.

His eyes fluttered open, and he looked up to find Rin staring down at him with a soft smile pulling his lips upward. He looked genuinely happy, and it pulled on his heartstrings.

“We can leave, now,” Rin said.

Haruka grunted, and sat up, rubbing at his eyes with his free hand. His other hand — which was still held by RIn — was a little sweaty, but warm nonetheless.

Rin was the one to let go.

He stood up, and held up a finger. “I’ll go grab our coats.”

Once he was gone, Haruka rubbed his hand that Rin held on his pants to get rid of the sweat and looked around the room. He didn’t know how much time had passed, but Akira was still there, and so was Kaiya. And Sousuke.

Sousuke was talking to Hiroki, and as Hiroki made random hand gestures, Sousuke glanced over to Haruka. Their gazes met, and Sousuke raised a brow in question.

“Got ‘em,” Rin said, appearing by his side again. Sousuke looked away as Rin dropped Haruka’s coat in his lap.

Haruka looked down to his coat and stared at it for a moment, as if it had all of the answers to his questions. But it didn’t.

“Haru,” Rin said, gaining Haruka’s attention. He looked back up to Rin, who was looking down at him with an amused expression. “You ready?”

“Yeah,” Haruka said, shrugging his coat on. “I’m ready.”

He was more than ready to get out of there.

What he wasn’t ready for: Rin holding his hand out for him to take.

Haruka stared at it for a moment in slight confusion before snapping out of it. There are people around, and Rin is just trying to keep the act up, he told himself. That’s all he’s doing.

He took his hand and stood up, lacing their fingers together.

 _Now_ he was ready to get out of here.

* * *

 “Haru, _please_.”

“You promised,” Haruka huffed into the phone, directing his glare to the snow underneath his feet.

Rin had called him during his lunch break at the bakery and asked if he would be willing to do the fake boyfriend thing again— this time though, it would be with his family. Haruka didn’t understand why he had to do it, and why he was asking again because he had promised him it would only be for that party. But here they were, again.

If this becomes an actual thing, Haruka might scream. _Might._

“I know— I know, but Haru,” Rin began, “my mom heard that I had a boyfriend and she wants to meet you. I don’t know how she heard—” Rin paused. “Okay, I do. Sousuke’s a jackass.”

Haruka rolled his eyes. _Glad you caught on, Rin._

“But the point is!” Rin said. “She wants to meet you. And so will the rest of my family…”

“Rin,” Haruka began, his free hand curling up into a fist by his side. “You promised it would only be for that party. That is all I agreed to.”

“Haru, I’m begging you here,” Rin pleaded. “I can’t just show up without you, my mom will know I was lying then!”

Haruka wanted to point out that this was a lie, and that he should just accept that and tell his mother that there is no boyfriend, it was just a game to fool his co-workers. But he knew Rin wouldn’t do that. He also knew that Rin would keep begging him to do it, even if he had to come up to the bakery and do it in person.

“What are you going to tell them after?” Haruka asked instead. “I’m not going to be doing this for the rest of my life, Rin.”

“I’ll— I’ll tell them we broke up,” Rin said. “Shortly after Christmas, or something.”

“What a _great_ boyfriend.”

“ _Shut up_ ,” Rin hissed. “Just— please? I’ll make it up to you somehow, I swear.”

Haruka sighed, leaning up against the cold brick wall of the bakery and looked up at the sky. He didn’t want to do this again, he _really_ didn’t. He just wanted to forget it ever happened and go home after his shift and take a warm bath and sit under the kotatsu in the living room. That’s what he _really_ wanted to do.

“Whatever,” Haruka muttered. He looked down at his hand, flexing his fingers to try and get them warm again. “Last time?”

There was a pause on the other line, but then he heard a soft laugh. “Last time, Haru. I promise.”

He was going to hold him to that.

* * *

Haruka had never been so grateful for heat in his entire life.

Rin’s grandmother’s house was warm, very warm, much warmer than his own home— and definitely warmer than outside.

Snow had started falling when Rin came to pick him up, and it was still falling now. They were a little late getting there, since their second train had been delayed because of the weather gradually getting worse, but he was glad they made it. Really, he was just glad for the heat.

He was not glad because they were here. Definitely not.

He shrugged his coat off and Rin took it from him, putting it up on a coat hanger in the closet by the front door next to his. There were little kids running around and screaming, and Haruka could tell he was going to have a headache by the end of this party.

“They’re some of my cousins kids,” Rin said, gesturing to the kids running after one another. “A few of them are my cousins though.”

Haruka watched as a girl sat down on the couch and grabbed her doll sitting beside her. At least some of them weren’t like wild animals.

“Rin!”

Haruka looked around in search for who called Rin’s name, but he didn’t have to look that far because someone was hugging him, and Rin was hugging them back.

“Hey, Gou,” Rin said, a grin now on his face. Gou pulled back, and a smile was on her face too. “Have you gotten taller?”

“Shut up,” she said, letting go of him. “I saw you three weeks ago.”

“Humor me,” Rin said, nudging her playfully.

That’s when she seemed to notice Haruka standing beside Rin. She did a double take, her eyes wide and full of questions. Haruka didn’t think this one through. Of course Gou would be here, she was Rin’s sister for crying out loud. He should’ve known that.

“Haruka-senpai?” she asked, frowning a bit— and whether it was because Haruka was here, at their family Christmas party, or because she let the use of senpai slip even though they graduated a few years ago, he isn’t sure. “What are you doing here?”

“He’s—” Rin started, but was cut off by another voice.

“There you are!” he heard a voice call out. “I was wondering when you would show up.”

A woman in her mid-forties (Haruka isn’t sure, but she doesn’t look _that_ old) came up to them, a smile on her face— one that looked similar to both Rin’s and Gou’s. Her red hair was pulled back in a loose ponytail, some of it falling out and framing her face. He couldn’t pinpoint what color eyes she had, but he could tell this was Rin’s mother.

“Mom!” Rin said, grinning again. “Sorry, we kinda ran into a little problem with the trains because of the weather.”

“I figured as much,” she said. “Your grandmother, on the other hand, thought you were ditching her.” She looked as if she was going to give him a hug, but then she noticed Haruka standing next to him. “Oh! Is this your boyfriend?”

“Boyfriend—?” Gou sputtered, glancing between Rin and Haruka. He could see the unspoken question in her eyes, _Since when?_

“Yeah, this is him!” Rin exclaimed. “Mom, this is Nanase Haruka, and Haru— well, this is my mom.”

Rin’s mother’s face is practically glowing when she held out her hand for him to shake. “It’s lovely to finally meet you, Haruka.”

Haruka frowned a bit, but shook her hand nonetheless. “Haru’s fine,” he said, glancing at Rin out of the corner of his eyes. “And it’s nice to meet you too.”

“Wait—” Rin’s mother leaned forward a bit after she let go of his hand, and Haruka wanted to lean back but Rin’s hand resting on the small of his back — when did that happen? — stopped him. “Are you the Nanase Haruka Rin used to tell me all about back in elementary school?”

“Mom—” Rin began, sounding embarrassed. Haruka couldn’t hold back the small smile on his face.

Rin was absolutely _ridiculous._

“He talked about me?” Haruka asked. Rin’s mother smiled widely.

“Oh, sweetheart, he wouldn’t shut up about you!” she cried, and Haruka heard the sound of a dying animal leave Rin’s mouth. “He went on and on about how great of a swimmer you are, and how he wanted you on his relay team and how much—”

“Okay! Okay,” Rin cut in, his hand falling away from Haruka’s back. “We can stop now.”

Gou and her mother were grinning. Haruka chanced a glance over at Rin, who was now red in the face and running a hand through his hair.

“I didn’t think you were that taken by me, Rin,” Haruka said.

Rin’s head snapped over to him, and when their gazes met, Haruka could practically read right off his eyes what he was begging him not to do, _Please, please don’t do this._

Haruka was going to do it.

Rin groaned, covering his face with his hands. “Shut up,” Rin whined, the tips of his ears turning red.

“Rin, your grandmother is really going to want to meet Haru,” his mother intervened, sparring Rin even more embarrassment. “I suggest you get out to the kitchen and greet her before she really thinks you ditched her.”

“Alright, alright,” Rin said, pulling his hands away from his face. “I’ll go say hi in a sec.”

His mother smiled, and turned towards Haruka again. She looked as if she was going to say something, but decided against it with a shake of her head. After a moment, she turned on her heel and walked off, calling out a name— and then chasing after a child who got into something. Haruka wasn’t sure what, but a lot of people were calling out his name now.

Gou was still standing there though, glancing between the two with a calculating stare— and it reminded Haruka of Sousuke that night at Rin’s Christmas party for work.

Rin grabbed a hold of Haruka’s hand, giving it a light tug. “C’mon, you gotta meet my grandma now.” He glanced to Gou, eyebrow raised. “You okay?”

“Yeah— fine,” Gou said, a smile re-appearing on her face. “Just thinking.”

“Don’t hurt yourself,” Rin chided her, patting her head as he dragged Haruka past her to the kitchen.

“That was mean, you know!” Gou called after him, and Rin laughed.

Walking into the kitchen, Haruka was hit with the smell of cookies baking, and brownies— freshly made brownies. There were a few kids in here too, shoving cookies into their mouths. Haruka saw two shoving cookie after cookie into their mouths, and glaring at one another. It made him wonder if they were having a competition over who could fit the most cookies in their mouth. Or maybe eat the most cookies.

Who knows.

“God, those kids are on fire,” Rin said, gesturing to the children shoving cookies into their mouths. “Just look at them.”

“That is unhealthy,” Haruka said blankly. After a pause, Rin burst out laughing.

Haruka glanced over at him, watching as he doubled over and gripped onto his knee with his free hand.

He frowned a bit. “What’s so funny?”

“You just— I can’t fucking do this,” Rin gasped, reaching up with his hand to wipe at his eyes. Haruka blinked. He did not understand what was so funny that made Rin have actual tears in his eyes. “The way you— _fuck_.”

“I heard that, young man!” he heard someone call out.

Haruka looked around, and saw an elderly woman stand up from her chair, a frown on her face and her hands on her hips. She had her white hair pulled into a bun, and some of it was beginning to fall out. She had disappointment radiating off of her, and Haruka could tell she was directing it to Rin.

Rin stood up beside him, the smile on his face turning a little sheepish when he found the gaze of the woman on him. “Sorry grandma—:

“Aw, just come give your grandma a hug already.”

Rin let go of Haruka’s hand — a little hesitantly, as if he had been debating whether or not to walk over and hug her while still holding his hand — and walked over to his grandmother to give him a hug. Haruka grew a bit sad, watching the exchange, because it reminded him of his own grandmother.

He still missed her.

“Has your hair gotten longer?” she asked once Rin pulled away, grabbing a lock of his hair and looking at it. “I feel like it has.”

“Grandma—”

“I never see you anymore,” she went on to say, letting go of his hair and resting her hand on his shoulder. “You’re always going off to save the world and—”

“I wouldn’t say that,” Rin laughed. “I’m just busy, you know that.”

She frowned a bit, glancing off to the side as if contemplating whether or not to say what was on her mind. She seemed to let it go, because her hand dropped from Rin’s shoulder, and a smile replaced her frown.

“Never mind that,” she said with a wave of her hand. “I want to meet your boyfriend. You did bring him, didn’t you?”

It really did surprise Haruka how accepting Rin’s family was. He had thought there would be some upturned noses, especially from the elders, but so far there had been none. And he was glad for it, really.

He was sure Rin was too.

“Oh.” Rin glanced back at him, motioning for him to come over with the movement of his head.

Haruka had known he was going to be meeting a lot of people, but— he shrugged the thought off. _Just go along with, Haru. It’ll be over soon enough, and you’ll be free._

He walked over, and once he was standing beside Rin, his grandmother’s eyes landed on him. They were red, and though they were a little duller than Rin’s, it still reminded him of Rin in some way.

“Grandma, this is Nanase Haruka,” Rin said, grabbing a hold of his hand again. It made him feel a little more secure— almost as if Rin was his anchor to the ground. “My boyfriend.”

“Oh, I’m glad I finally get to meet you,” she said, clasping her hands together. She glanced back to Rin and gave him a wink. “This one’s a keeper, Rin.”

Haruka frowned. That was the second time he heard that, and he wasn’t sure if he should be happy over it or feel uneasy.

Rin squeezed his hand. “Yeah, I know.”

“It’s nice to meet you too, Matsuoka-san,” Haruka said, her eyes landing back on him. She grinned.

“We have so much to talk about,” she said, her hands falling back to her sides. “Come, come, let’s go into the living room.”

Rin’s grandmother squeezed past them, and they followed after. Haruka really didn’t want to talk about anything, and had been hoping that all he had to do was meet the people and move on with his life. It was never that easy though.

His grandmother plopped down on the end of the couch, and Rin pulled Haruka down on the loveseat, wrapping an arm around him once he was situated. He felt like Rin was overdoing it, especially in front of his grandmother, but he didn’t say anything.

“Aiko, can you get the cookies from the oven, please?” his grandmother called out over the laughter of children and adults. She rolled her eyes in a playful manner, looking back to Rin and Haruka. “Now, where were we?”

Rin and his grandmother did a little of catching up— she asked him how his job was, asked him how Sousuke was, asked him if he’s gotten in any trouble. Rin seemed more than capable of answering these questions, and a little happy too. Haruka was too because now the attention was off of him and he could just sit there and enjoy himself.

Well, not really enjoy himself, but be sort of content.

He wasn’t sure when his head fell down to rest on Rin’s shoulder, and he also wasn’t sure when Rin started to rub circles into his shoulder with his thumb, but he certainly wasn’t complaining. It actually felt kind of nice, and almost— like it was right.

“Haruka.” His grandmother’s voice snapped him out of his thoughts, and he glanced over to her. “I’ve been wondering, what do you do for a living?”

“I work at a bakery,” he supplied. “I’m one of the head bakers, I guess.”

“How sweet!” his grandmother exclaimed, and laughed softly to herself. “Sweet, ah. Do you enjoy it?”

“Yes,” he said, lifting his head off Rin’s shoulder. “I’ve always enjoyed cooking— and baking.”

“He’s really good at it too,” Rin said. “He baked Nagisa’s birthday cake this year and the icing on it looked like it belonged in a museum. And I’m not that big on sweets, but it was really good.” Rin paused for a moment. “He’s just really good at baking and cooking things. Art too.”

“Oh, what do you do then? Paint, sketch?” his grandmother asked, and Haruka gave a roll of his shoulders. It probably didn’t look like such, since he was pressed against Rin, but he didn’t care.

“Both,” he said, glancing at the children running in and out of the room. “I like painting the ocean the most though.”

“Obviously,” Rin grumbled underneath his breath, and Haruka glared at him.

“I would love to see your paintings sometime,” his grandmother said, smiling softly.

Haruka felt something twist in his gut, because he knew there wasn’t going to be a sometime for her to see them, because this was the last — and only — time she was going to see him. And for some reason, this made him upset.

“Grandma, he’s really good at swimming too,” Rin intervened, saving Haruka from having to reply. “He’s like a natural, and—”

Rin went on a rant over his swimming, and Haruka watched the amused face on his grandmother’s face for a moment before turning to look at one of the children building a building with her blocks. Another child came up and dropped a bunch next to her, smiling a toothy grin and asking if he could help.

At some point, Rin had finished his rant, and his grandmother was laughing. Haruka had completely tuned out their conversation, so he had no idea what she was laughing at, but her face was glowing with happiness so whatever it was must have made her really happy.

“Now, I’m curious,” his grandmother began, glancing between the two of them. “When do you two think you’ll get married?”

Haruka almost choked on thin air, his eyes widening. Rin actually did choke on the air, and began coughing a little. He felt dread wash over him, and he felt like if someone gave him a bucket to get sick in, he would get sick in it. No, no they weren’t getting married— they would never get married. There was no way they ever would, and he didn’t even want to think about it. He didn’t want to think about what it’d be like to get married to Rin, didn’t want to think about waking up beside him every morning and giving him a good morning kiss after they both brushed their teeth. He didn’t want to think about making a lunch for Rin, and kissing him goodbye when he left for work, and then leaving for work himself. He didn’t want to think about coming home to Rin and having dinner with him every night, and sleeping in the same bed with him every night and getting good night kisses and—

The problem with all of that was: he was actually okay with it.

He wouldn’t mind falling asleep next to Rin and waking up next to him. He wouldn’t mind curling up next to him on cold nights, or watching dumb romance movies with him and sharing a blanket. He wouldn’t mind kissing him, or being kissed— he wouldn’t mind it, and that’s the thing that scared him, the thing that made him feel uneasy.

“Oh, I’ll be back,” his grandmother said, interrupting Haruka’s train of rapid thoughts. “I have to go help with dinner. It was really great meeting you though, Haruka.” She smiled again, and Haruka wanted to get sick.

He couldn’t do this anymore.

She stood up and left the living room, laughing as children ran past her. She left Rin and Haruka alone, for the most part. There were still other people in the room, some sitting on the couch and chatting, some building buildings.

“Haru?” Rin asked, waving a hand in his face. “You okay?”

No, he was not okay. He wanted to go home and never think this happened, never think that Rin had ever asked him to be his fake boyfriend and that people told him that he was a keeper— and that Rin replied with so much love in his voice, as if he was really in love with him and didn’t plan on letting him go anytime soon.

“Yeah,” he said, his voice sounding hoarse even to his own ears. “I’m fine.”

“You don’t look fine,” Rin said, frowning. “Was it because of the marriage thing—”

“No,” he lied, looking up at Rin. He was worried, Haruka could tell. His eyebrows were furrowed together and a little crease had made its home between them, and his lips were downturned— and his eyes were searching his face for any trace of a lie, and trying to see if he really was okay or not. “Just not feeling good.”

“Maybe you’re hungry?” Rin questioned, and Haruka wanted to tell him that he wasn’t. He wasn’t hungry, he just wanted to go home and forget this ever happened.

God, he wished Rin could read him like Makoto could.

“Yeah,” Haruka muttered, looking away from Rin’s worried eyes. “I’m just hungry.”

“Okay, lemme go see if dinner’s ready then,” Rin said, pulling his arm away from Haruka’s shoulders. He pressed a soft kiss to Haruka’s temple, and he tensed up, but Rin didn’t seem to notice. “I’ll be right back, okay?”

“Yeah,” was all Haruka said.

Rin got up and left the living room, leaving Haruka alone in the room full of people— full of Rin’s family. He would never see these people again after today, except for Gou, but he didn’t even know when he would see her after this, and if she would be mad at him or not because of their “break-up.”

Would she ever talk to him again? Would Rin tell her that it was him who broke up with Haruka, or Haruka who broke up with him? Would Rin and Haruka pretend nothing happened after this, and just go back to being friends and swimming with one another every weekend?

Why was he thinking about this?

Haruka caught the gaze of the little girl playing with her blocks, her head tilting to the side. He wasn’t sure why she was looking at him, but he didn’t dwell on it any further as she gave him a smile and a little wave.

Haruka tried for a little smile, and that seemed to please her because her smile grew wider and she went back to playing with her blocks happily.

The clock ticked on, and Haruka was about to get up and go see if Rin was coming back soon, or if he had started talking to someone and forgot about him because he really did not want to chance having to talk to any of Rin’s family members alone. He was more comfortable with Rin by his side, and he still wasn’t back and— 

“I think you’ll like this,” he heard Rin’s voice, and someone sitting down beside him. He looked up and found Rin, smiling, with two plates in his hands. He set one down on Haruka’s lap, and a pair of chopsticks. “It’s fish.”

Haruka could _see_ that, but it wasn’t his _favorite_ fish.

“It’s not mackerel,” he said, and he heard Rin sigh.

“I know it’s not, but it’s _fish,_ ” Rin said, nudging Haruka with his shoulder. “Now eat, you big baby.”

Haruka ate quietly, and slowly, savoring the taste— because it might not be mackerel, but it was bursting with flavor inside his mouth that even he couldn’t deny that it was really good.

“My grandma made it,” he said, and all Haruka did was hum.

He’d have to ask his grandmother what types of seasons she used, because this was _divine._

He grew quiet after he finished eating, a little upset that it was gone and craving for more— but he didn’t ask for seconds. Rin, on the other hand, hadn’t been that hungry and pushed his unfinished fish onto his plate.

“If I eat one more piece I might explode,” Rin said with a chuckle.

Haruka was more than happy to eat it.

He felt a little like Nagisa, because of his eating habits— how he could inhale an entire five pizzas and seven bags of chips and still be starving. Of course, this couldn’t even compare to that, but after he had finished Rin’s fish, he still felt a little hungry. But again, he didn’t say anything, and simply put his plate on top of Rin’s empty one, along with his chopsticks.

“I am not your maid, Haru,” Rin said, and Haruka shrugged.

Rin still got up and took his plate back into the kitchen anyway. (Haruka: 1, Rin: 0.)

When Rin returned, everyone else piled into the living room, and Haruka was afraid they were coming to talk to him and he was ready to bolt out of there, fake boyfriend be damned. He was so not talking to that many people at once, and he didn’t care what they thought about him.

“Present time!” Rin’s grandmother called out, and all the children squealed with joy.

Gou sat beside Haruka once she came back in the living room, glancing over to him with a grin on her face. “There’s gonna be a lot of screaming,” she warned him. “I’d plug your ears while you still can.”

Haruka didn’t think about it, but he grabbed a hold of Rin’s hand as presents were being passed out. Names were called out, and Haruka wondered if this was how it always was here— full of happiness and giggles and smiles.

He wondered when the last time he had been in a room like this was.

Rin’s mother handed Rin a present, and Haruka was reluctant to let his hand go, but he did so he could unwrap it properly. He turned his attention to children tearing open their presents and shouting thank yous, and showing their cousins — would that be considered cousins? — what cool stuff they got.

“Nice,” Gou said, looking at Rin’s new jacket he got. “Brings out your eyes.”

“I like it,” Rin huffed, folding the jacket back up and putting it back in the box. “You’re just jealous.”

“Mhmm,” Gou hummed, leaning back. “Sure.”

He occupied himself with watching the children, smiling softly. He remembered watching Ren and Ran open their presents at Makoto’s, so many Christmases ago. He remembered watching their faces light up, especially when he gave them his presents for them. They looked so happy, and the hug he got afterwards— those kids were strong. Strong and full of love.

Rin was handed a small box, and his mother grinned at him, which caused his face to turn red. He looked as if he wanted to throw it at her, but he knew better.

When she walked away, he turned towards Haruka and held it out for him. “This is for you— from me and my grandma.”

Haruka raised a brow in surprise, because honestly, he hadn’t been expecting anything from Rin, much less his grandmother. He took it after a moment of hesitation, though, and carefully unwrapped it.

Once the wrapping paper was gone, he was greeted with a small box, and he felt as if his throat was closing up on him. _No, this isn’t what you think it is. Why in the world would it be what you think it is?_

He opened it with shaky hands, and was relieved when it wasn’t what he thought it was.

Instead, inside sat a necklace. The chain was silver, and on the chain was a dolphin charm. It was blue, the blue that reminded Haruka of the ocean, and it practically glittered in the lighting of the room.

“I saw it and— and I thought of you,” Rin said, clearly embarrassed. Haruka pulled the necklace out of the box and looked at it closer, a small smile appearing on his face. “I just—”

Haruka pressed a soft kiss to Rin’s cheek, which only made his face grow even more red, matching his hair and eyes almost perfectly. “Thank you, Rin,” he murmured. “I love it.”

Rin grinned, and Haruka had to admit it looked a little stupid, but it was genuine, and he looked really happy to hear that. “Great— I— you’re welcome, Haru.”

Haruka laughed softly, and that only seemed to make Rin happier.

* * *

 

An hour or so after the presents, and after meeting more people than Haruka could count, Rin finally decided it was time to leave.

“We don’t wanna miss our train,” Rin had told his mother, and Haruka was so glad that they lived to where they had to take the train back.

“Alright,” his mother said, giving him another hug. “Merry Christmas, sweetheart.”

“Merry Christmas to you too, Mom,” Rin said, with a grin.

Haruka looked down at the necklace resting in his hands, rubbing his thumb over the dolphin charm. He felt a little bad that Rin had gotten him something, and he didn’t have anything for him— but Rin didn’t seem to mind.

Rin said goodbye to Gou and his grandmother before grabbing their coats, and Haruka had to say goodbye to them too— Rin’s mother included. Many of Rin’s family members said that they hoped to see him again soon, and said that they were glad to meet him, and it just made Haruka feel even worse about it all.

“It was great to finally meet the infamous Haru,” Rin’s mother said once he came up to Rin. She was smiling, and Haruka managed to smile back. He wasn’t prepared for the hug, though.

“I hope to see you soon, both of you,” she said, directing her gaze over to Rin. He heard him sputter. “Take care of him for me.”

“I’ll do my best,” Haruka said as Rin put Haruka’s coat on his shoulders. “He’s a handful.”

“Trust me, I know,” Rin’s mother grinned.

With that, they left, RIn waving and grabbing a hold of Haruka’s hand after he his coat on properly. And even after they stepped outside, and the door closed behind them, Rin kept holding onto Haruka’s hand.

“Glad to get out of there?” Rin asked, swinging their hands a little. Haruka didn’t hold back his nod, and it made Rin laugh. “I thought so.”

On their way to the train station, they barely said a word. Rin commented on how it was still snowing at one point, though it was much lighter than it had been when they arrived to his grandmother’s house. Haruka only nodded, and that conversation was dropped.

Once they were seated on the train, Haruka rested his head against Rin’s shoulder again, closing his eyes. He was exhausted, and all of the socializing hadn’t helped with that. And Rin was warm.

“Hey, Haru?”

Haruka sighed. “What, Rin?”

“I just… Wanted to thank you, again. For coming with me.” Rin paused, his grip on Haruka’s hand tightening a little. “And agreeing to do this, so. Thanks. It means a lot to me.”

Haruka squeezed Rin’s hand, and finally slipped his necklace inside his coat pocket. It was almost as cold as Haruka’s own hands were. “You’re welcome,” he muttered, softly.

Rin laughed, and pressed a kiss to Haruka’s head. “Go to sleep, I’ll wake you up when we get to the next train station.”

Haruka did just that.

* * *

 

Haruka woke up to his phone going off on his nightstand.

He groaned, turning over so he was facing away from his phone, and hoped that if he ignored it that it would shut up. It did, but then it started ringing again.

He sat up and grabbed it, quickly accepting the call. If this was Rin, he was going to have his head.

“Hello?” he asked, hoping he sounded tired and angry enough that the person on the other end just hung up.

No such luck.

“Haru-chan!” Nagisa’s greeting nearly blasted his eardrums out, and Haruka closed his eyes, dropping his head back down to his soft, welcoming pillows. “I can’t believe you didn’t tell me!”

“Tell you what?” He really wasn’t in the mood for this.

“That you and Rin-chan are dating!”

Haruka’s eyes snapped open, and he felt wide awake now. “Excuse me?”

“You and Rin-chan!” Nagisa cried, as if it was blatantly obvious. “I told Rei-chan you two would get together eventually, but he didn’t believe me! He owes me fifty bucks now.”

“Nagisa-kun!” Haruka heard Rei’s cry of Nagisa’s name in the background, and Nagisa laughed.

“Mako-chan was surprised too!” Nagisa continued. “He owes me money too.”

Haruka still couldn’t wrap his head around this. What he wanted to know was how Nagisa had found out (even though they weren’t technically together, but Nagisa didn’t know that).

“Nagisa— how did you find out?”

“So it’s true!” Nagisa exclaimed, and Haruka could tell he was smiling. “Rei-chan, you owe me another ten bucks!”

“I do not!”

“Anyway” Nagisa said, ignoring Rei once again. “Gou-chan told me. She was surprised too, but apparently you showed up at the Matsuoka family Christmas party and well— I think you know the rest.”

Something crashed over on Nagisa’s end, but Haruka didn’t care. All he cared about was now all of his friends knew that he and Rin were dating — which, they weren’t — and he didn’t know whether Rin wanted to tell them they weren’t, or to have them believe they were.

“Nagisa, we aren’t—”

“It’s okay, Haru-chan! You two are cute anyway,” Nagisa laughed. “Anyway, I gotta go! I have money to collect. See you soon, Haru-chan!”

With that, the line went dead.

Haruka dropped his phone beside him on his bed, and let out a groan — again. No, no, no, this couldn’t be happening. He thought he was free from this, he thought he was finally free and yet—

He pulled his covers back and sat up. He had to talk to Rin.

* * *

 

Haruka walked into the police station where Rin worked, and there were a few faces he recognized— but he was looking for one specific face.

“Well, if it isn’t Rin’s boyfriend!” someone called out, a huge grin spreading out on his face. Haruka racked his name for a brain and eventually found one— Akira.

“Where is Rin?” he asked, and Akira blinked.

“Oh, he’s out back on his break with Sousuke—”

Haruka didn’t wait for Akira to continue. He walked past him, realized that he had absolutely no idea where he was going.

“Just go down that hallway and take a left! The door’s obvious!” Akira called out, and Haruka continued walking.

He took the way Akira told him, and pushed open the back door, finding Sousuke leaning up against the brick wall of the station and Rin standing beside him. They were laughing, but their laughter stopped once the back door closed behind Haruka.

They looked up, their gazes landing on Haruka and he could tell they were surprised to see him.

“Haru?” Rin asked. “What’re you doing here?”

“You promised,” Haruka said, hands balling into fists by his side.

“I’ll see you back inside, Rin,” Sousuke said before either Rin or Haruka could say anything. He stood up to his full height and walked past Haruka, opening the door and closing it behind him with a loud bang— whether it was intentional or not, Haruka wasn’t sure, but he also didn’t care.

“Haru— what are you talking about?” Rin asked, clearly sounding confused.

“You said that was the last time,” Haruka said, hating how his voice wavered a little. “Do you really expect me to keep this up for even longer?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Haru!”

“Did you know—” Haruka began, taking a step closer to Rin. “That now Nagisa, Rei and Makoto know that we’re supposedly dating?”

Rin’s reaction told Haruka everything he needed to know. The way he began chewing on his bottom lip, the way he looked away from Haruka’s prying gaze— he knew. He already knew.

“You do know,” Haruka said, and Rin looked back to him.

“Nagisa called me,” Rin sighed, bringing a hand up to his forehead. “What did you want me to do? I mean, I didn’t expect everyone to find out, I—”

“But everyone did!” Haruka cried, trying to keep his composure under control. He paused, looking down to his feet in frustration. He knew he shouldn’t have ever agreed to this, he knew this was only going to blow up in their face and— He sighed. “Rin, this needs to stop.”

He could feel that his hands had begun to shake a little, even though they were balled up in fists still. He could only hope that Rin wouldn’t notice.

He just couldn’t do this anymore.

It had started off innocent, even Haruka knew that, but as it continued, everyone began to found out. He had began to question everything about their friendship—he began to wonder what the real reason was for Rin asking him to be his “boyfriend.”

He was afraid, though. Afraid that if this continued any longer that he would fall even further into this hole. He was afraid he wouldn’t be able to get over Rin.

He was afraid of admitting that.

Maybe he had developed feelings for Rin. Maybe they had been there all along— which might explain a lot of things in their relationship. Maybe that’s why Nagisa had called them ending up together.

Maybe it was bound to happen.

“Why?” Rin asked, and Haruka couldn’t tell what emotion was in his voice. He couldn’t tell if it was hurt, or anger or— something else. But he also wasn’t sure why it would be any of those things. “Why’s that, Haru? Do you like someone, or something? Is that it?”

Haruka had a deep feeling Rin was going to say something he was going to regret. He had a feeling, and he was preparing himself for it.

(He was right.)

“It’s not like anyone would like you anyway.”

Rin’s eyes widened mere moments after he said those words, reaching a hand out to Haruka. “Haru, I didn’t mean that, I—”

“You’re right,” Haruka said, cutting Rin’s words off. His voice sounded foreign to his own ears, and he hated it. He felt as if he had been slapped in the face, and he wished Rin didn’t have this affect on him, because it almost felt as if his entire world had come crashing down. Which was crazy, because Rin shouldn’t mean this much to him and yet—

He does.

Rin always has, as much as he hated to admit it.

“Haru, I’m sorry, I seriously didn’t—”

“You’re right,” Haruka murmured, his vision growing blurry. “I don’t even know why I would bother.”

“Haru, please—”

“Stop, Rin,” Haruka said, taking a step away from Rin. “Just stop. You’re right.” Haruka reached out to grab a hold of the door, noticing how badly his arm was shaking. No, he can’t be this upset, this shouldn’t upset him that much, it wasn’t rational and made no sense but— “Isn’t that what you wanted? To be right?”

Haruka heard RIn call out his name again, but he didn’t listen. He pulled open the door and walked back in, ignoring Rin’s calls, and rushing out of the police station.

He _knew_ this would blow up in his face. He _knew_ it.

(And it finally had.)

* * *

 

He hadn't spoken to Rin for two weeks.

He was hurting, and maybe he was overreacting, but that comment Rin made hurt like _hell_. He knew he shouldn't have let it gotten to him, but it did, and there was nothing he could do about it now— all he could do was try and forget about it, and maybe act like nothing had happened.

Or something like that. He really didn't care at this point.

He knew his friends could tell something was up too. They just didn't know how to bring it up.

Finally, Rei did.

"Haruka-senpai?" He still wasn't out of that, even after Haruka had told him that he didn't have to call him that anymore. "Is everything all right?"

Haruka shrugged, pushing his piece of pizza away from him. "I'm not hungry."

"Haru-chan, we're worried about you," Nagisa whined, taking his plate of pizza and sliding it onto his own. "Did you and Rin-chan have a fight?"

Haruka tensed at the mention of Rin's name, and he knew his friends noticed. He huffed, propping his chin up on the palm of his hand. "Rin's a jackass."

Makoto had been quiet beside him, but after a beat of silence, he spoke up, "Hey, Nagisa? You think you could take Rei to go get more drinks?"

"Yeah!" Nagisa exclaimed, pulling Rei up as he stood up. "We'll be back!"

With that, the duo left, which left Haruka and Makoto alone at the table.

"Rin told me," Makoto said, softly. "He told me what happened."

"I don't care," Haruka grunted. He heard Makoto sigh.

"Haru, you need to talk to him," Makoto said. "He said he was sorry, and he wants to explain—"

"There's nothing to explain, Makoto," Haruka snapped, glaring at his best friend. "You don't understand—"

"He said some mean things," Makoto said, cutting Haruka off. "And he said he didn't mean them. He's really sorry, Haru. He just— I don't understand Rin sometimes, but I know he didn't mean it. Just talk to him, okay? Promise me you will."

Haruka didn't want to promise anything, especially this. But he sighed, and looked out the window, reminding himself of his high school days. He didn't understand why he couldn't just move on, because he didn't want to talk about it. There was nothing to talk about anyway, and maybe Makoto would understand that if he had actually been in his shoes, but he wasn't and—

"Fine," Haruka grumbled. "I'll talk to him."

Makoto smiled.

* * *

The next day, was standing behind the cashier of the bakery, ringing up an order for a regular customer and handing her her cake with a soft smile when Rin came in.

He was wearing his uniform, and looked a little uncomfortable. And when he looked up at Haruka, when their gazes met, Haruka thought he saw a twinkle in them.

"Can we talk?" Rin asked. "Outside?"

Haruka sighed, and waved one of his co-workers over to take over the cash register. He was due for a break anyway.

They walked out to the front of the bakery together, Rin holding open the door for Haruka and letting it go once he was outside. 

It was silent between them for a moment. Haruka wondered if Rin was going to say anything, or if he had to start the conversation, and that was definitely not happening.

"I'm sorry," Rin muttered, looking down at his feet for a minute before looking back up at Haruka. "What I said was out of line and I— I really didn't mean it."

Haruka folded his arms across his chest and raised a brow. "I know, I— That was really fucking stupid of me to say, and I'm sorry, Haru. I shouldn't have said that, and I didn't mean it, I didn't— I don't know what I was thinking. I just—" Rin paused, biting on his bottom lip and looking off to the side. "I... God, I'm sorry. I just really like you, and I wasn't thinking. A lot of people like you, Haru, and you don't ever seem to notice that. It was really, really out of line of me to say that and—"

"Rin," Haruka said, softly, cutting him off. He could see how upset Rin was, and how genuine his apology sounded. And the fact that tears were forming in his eyes was enough proof for him. Still, he didn't know if he could accept it yet. "You—"

"I'm sorry, Haru," Rin said, taking one step, then two, closer to him. "I'm really sorry."

Haruka reached up and grabbed a hold of the necklace Rin had got him for Christmas, as if it was his anchor right now. He brought the charm up to his lips in thought, and noticed how Rin's eyes had followed his movement.

"You're wearing it?" he asked, as if he hadn't expected him to.

"Yeah," Haruka replied, letting the charm go. "I told you I liked it."

"I know I just—" Rin began, but shook his head. "Never mind."

Haruka frowned, and looked down at his feet. He wasn't sure what to say next, but thankfully, Rin spoke up again.

"The reason I asked you to be my fake boyfriend, Haru," he began, and Haruka looked up at him. Rin was looking at him, his cheeks growing a little red. "Because I— I like you, a lot. I thought I could make it seem real if I asked you, and when we held hands—" Rin paused, clasping his own hands together. "I dunno, it just felt right."

Haruka felt as if his heart skipped a beat at Rin's words. He had known something was up, had known it when he heard Rin speak with such a loving tone about him, had known when he kissed his forehead and let him lean up against him without much protest. The signs had been there all along, and Haruka had to have it spelled out for him to actually understand— to actually get it.

"Rin—"

"I know, I'm a jackass," Rin said, rubbing the back of his neck with his hand. "I said that to you and then, this— I'm sorry, Haru. I just... I really don't wanna lose you."

Haruka took a step closer to Rin, and then another. They were only so far apart now, and Rin seemed to notice because the blush on his cheeks grew darker. He still wanted to be mad, but he couldn't be anymore— he knew he didn't mean it, and even though it had hurt like hell, he'll forgive him. He knew he would end up doing it eventually.

"I forgive you," Haruka said. "You have to make it up to me, though."

"Anything, Haru. Anything."

Haruka glanced away for a moment, as if pondering the thought. He smiled a bit, and then looked back to Rin.

"Some mackerel would be nice," Haruka said, and Rin sighed.

"I know that's not what you were gonna say, Haru."

"Take a guess, then."

Rin frowned, but it soon twitched up into a smile and soon enough— those lips were pressed up against his own.

It was soft, and gentle, their lips just brushing up against one another, but to Haruka it felt right. It felt like this was what he should have been doing a long time ago— he should have been kissing Rin long ago, should have been holding his hand long ago— and he was just glad that he was finally doing it.

Rin pulled back after a few seconds, bumping his nose with Haruka's own. "Was that what you wanted?"

Haruka gave a shrug, moving his arms up to wrap around Rin's neck. "Maybe."

Rin sighed, but he could tell he was happy. It was practically written all over his face. He felt Rin's arms wrap around his waist, and squeeze him.

"Are you trying to kill me?"

Rin laughed. "Never."

Haruka rolled his eyes, and Rin pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"What if I asked you to be my real boyfriend?" Rin asked after a beat, raising a brow. "Would that make you happy?"

Haruka smiled. "It would," he said. "But I still want mackerel."

Rin sighed— again. "You are ridiculous, Haru."

Haruka tugged on Rin's hair, laughing softly. "You are too, Rin."

Now it was Rin's turn to roll his eyes. "So is that a yes?"

Haruka hummed, and though he had experienced what felt like heartbreak not that long ago, he wasn't sure when this last time he had been this happy was. But he was glad. More than glad, really.

"Yes," he said, his voice a murmur, and he kissed Rin again.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope this was okay!! I might've ended it too soon, and I don't know if it makes that much sense, but this has been sitting in my docs for ages, and I finally decided to buckle down and finish it. I'm so glad it's done. I really love the fake relationship trope too ahhh!!!!! and thanks for reading everybody! c:


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